Web Design: Design With Statistics

Laura English

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Even with all that we know about User Experience, digital marketing, and how our client base interacts online, it can be hard to know exactly what’s working in your website’s design. Obviously fancy metrics and analytics help us out a bit, but how do you know exactly why things like your bounce rate are increasing? We’ve collected some key statistics around web design, digital marketing, and eCommerce… So we can make at least a few of those big decisions based on fact.

Design matters

Obviously we think design matters, but now we’ve got stats to back us up. According to Blue Corona 38 per cent of people visiting your website will leave if the content or layout is ugly. If the layout of your website isn’t designed well, there’s huge walls of text, or if the photos you use are low resolution (or just not good photos), nearly 4 out of 10 visitors will leave. They found 48 per cent (nearly half) of users reckon a website’s design is the number one factor in working out how credible a business is. So nearly one in two people think a cheap, DIY website means a business isn’t legit.

Adobe worked out that given just 15 minutes of time, 59 per cent of people want to browse through something beautifully designed instead of something ‘plain or boring’. A further 54 per cent say a website should appeal to their design sensibilities. So more than half of people aren’t interesting in reading the best of content, if it’s displayed poorly.

The Point

These stats show the importance of design and layout in websites. Making good User Experience and User Interface decisions is key to having a website that achieves results. Websites that are outdated, obviously cheap, or poorly designed can make a business look way less credible. It’s a relatively simple and obvious investment for a business.

Small changes in the effort you put into your website can have a massive impact on how your business is viewed. Updating and refreshing your website often offers a better experience for the user and it makes a better impression for your website. Put effort into creating an engaging website. Create useful content like blogs and invest in some high quality photos. Updating your website with high quality, professional photos can give it the revamp you need.

Devices

It’s 2019 and this has probably been yelled about enough by now… but just in case: websites need to be mobile friendly. Infront Webworks found 60 per cent of all internet access is done via phone, and 72 per cent of people want mobile friendly websites. Not to mention, 50 per cent of total eCommerce revenue is coming from mobile platforms. Adobe found that 65 per cent of users care about whether websites display well on the device they’re using (jumping to 68 per cent in Australia) and 45 per cent expect them to work across multiple devices.

The Point

Users are expecting websites to work well on their phones. Mobile first design is now essential and so is your website’s ability to display across all devices. It’s no longer enough for it to just work, users want websites that display well for them — with little forgiveness for device issues. Plus responsive websites and mobile first websites rule Google results.

Shopping

In eCommerce, the importance of design skyrockets. WebAlive asked users what the want once they hit the homepage of your website. A super significant 86 per cent said they want information about products and services, 64 per cent want to know how to contact you, and 52 per cent want to see your ‘About Us’ page.

BP Studios found that a huge 8 out of 10 consumers are swayed to shop online if free shipping is on offer. According to Cubicle Ninjas 80 per cent of smartphone users are checking out retail content online.

The Point

Minimalism is super aesthetic right now but if you’re going to barebones your website, you need to be smart about it. Users love a clean design, but they still need to be able to access key information. Free shipping is worth offering, even if you mark your items up. Users can load their basket full and then leave at the checkout when they see there’s a $10 shipping fee. If your product is something where it’s impractical to offer free shipping — maybe you’re selling massive machinery — then be transparent. Mentioning the shipping fee before checkout eliminates the surprise and disappointment before the user gets there. Buy now, pay later services like Afterpay and Zip Pay run to the same principal, with 65% of users saying the ability to make smaller payments swayed them to make purchases they normally wouldn’t.

Like we mentioned up above, mobile friendly websites are crucial and eCommerce is no exception. Browsing should be just as easy — if not easier — and the checkout process needs to be ace too. Another important tidbit for online stores is including all your ratings and reviews. Unless you’re using a direct Google Review Plugin, users will be sceptical if all of your reviews are five-star.

CTA

SAG IPL worked out just how important your Call to Action is. They found 64 per cent of people visiting a website want to see the company’s contact information on the homepage and 44 per cent of visitors are likely to leave a website if they can’t find their contact information.

The Point

The important lesson here is that CTAs are crucial. Never make a user on your website search for your contact details, never make them feel lost as to what the next step is. Websites shouldn’t have big flashy neon CTAs but they need to be obvious. Your live chat shouldn’t be a pop up, but it should be clearly in that bottom right hand corner. Your ‘contact’ page should be clear in your menu, whether it’s a classic header menu or the ever-current hamburger menu. Product pages should have an obvious “Add to Cart” button. Good User Experience is all about guiding the user through a process and knowing where they’ll need to go next.

Sydney

Tom, James and the entire team at Sonder are great to deal with. After struggling with a website for months, they took over and completed it within a week. They are incredibly efficient, deliver high-end results and were transparent and honest throughout the entire process. For anyone looking for digital services, I would strongly recommend them.

Tom and his team at Sonder have been doing wonders for my music school business! Everything has been so easy and straightforward. Under his guidance we’ve created an effective website and AdWords campaign which has been drawing in many new inquiries. Would highly recommend!

From my initial meeting with Tom through to website completion my experience with Sonder has been exceptional! The team took time to fully understand my business, marketing priorities and budget. The delivery of a brand new quality website for my business will make a big difference for my customers experience and sales. Tom and James are very passionate and highly skilled. Highly recommend Sonder for your digital marketing needs.

Sonder have helped us finally feel proud of how we appear online. They were supportive, creative and responsive throughout the whole process of building our website. We are so proud of the result! Would recommend speaking to them about your next website project

Our experience with Tom, James and the team at Sonder has been fantastic. Their ability to quickly accommodate to our changing requirements allowed us to get the website we were looking for. Couldn't recommend this team highly enough for any marketing, rebranding, design or website work. Thanks from the team at Labrys!